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Friday, October 29, 2010

I know I said I would try to keep this makeup related, but considering I haven't given much thought about my private blog yet (and because I am trying to make up for lost time! LOL) some readers have expressed they would like to join me on the wedding planning journey, as well as a few readers who are also currently engaged (congrats!) and wanted to see some of my ideas. I thought id share some of what we have so far because I have decided to make a few things myself (invitations, programs, and other small things) not only to save money but because I wanted to add a personal touch for our special day and I wanted our guests to 'feel' our personalities and give them a taste of the fun they will have at our wedding. We are aiming for October 1st, 2011. But weddings are so expensive, even a small simple wedding costs anywhere from $7K-10K, so I am crossing my fingers!

When we first started planning our wedding, we of course were looking for invitations that were already made and ready to order, but some were really expensive, even just 50 or 75 invitations, and to buy envelopes and RSVP cards were an additional cost. Because we plan on having 150-175 guests, we were looking at a pretty penny just for invitations alone. And some of them were just too plain.

I then decided to do something bold- make my own, yes all 150 of them- by hand. I talked to Bubs about it and he loved the idea but said "are you sure you want to do it?" because making each one by hand would be tedious (it is!). So I started off by playing with the idea and ordering a few sample papers, folders, etc. just to see what I can do with them considering I literally had NO CLUE what I wanted it to look like and knew I had to make a few mock-ups before I get it just right.

I ordered the materials from random places (papersource.com, paperandmore.com, anchorpaper.com, and the folders and belly bands from cardsandpockets.com), I then decided I wanted to look into embossing so I bought tons of floral stamps from eBay and other random places along with embossing powder just to see what I can do with it. Total cost roughly is a lot cheaper imo. Below is a picture journey from my original thought, to how it looks like now after making so many changes.

Our colors are pink (like a fuchsia mix) and black, but we are adding pops of colors at the actual reception. Below is just the folder and belly band by itself.

My embossing 'equipment' with the special embossing heat tool (from Michaels and JoAnn's), makes a cool raised effect and had fun playing with certain patterns:

I was then playing with the idea of making my own envelope liners using our picture (I want it black and white but used a color picture to test), I used a cutting mat and a cutting knife along with an envelope template (from papersource.com) to cut out the picture for a perfect fit:

The RSVP cards I also printed and made myself on Photoshop (this was the first trial run, it looks different now but don't have a recent pic of it):

Cutting!

Belly band glued on with a 2 x 2 custom monogram (I hated this version!):

And here is how the invitation currently looks (below), but it's not finished yet and honestly nothing is really final as I tend to change my mind a lot so it can look entirely different from now until months down the road! All the info is just for testing purposes so none of it is real, I just put some random things on the mock up for a more realistic feel. I also decided not to emboss the actual invites because it was just too time consuming and messy, so I will be embossing the mailing envelopes instead.

I decide to custom make the 2 x 2 monogram for the front of the invitation using our baby pictures in black and white which I designed myself. I thought it would be super cute to see us when we were kids, and then when they open the invite, they would see our engagment pictures (which we have yet to take). The monogram itself originally is on metallic paper and I had to have it specially printed (no way was I about to cut 150 squares myself!), but I got a lot of feedback from friends and family and that they preferred the matte paper better, so I might just have to change it to matte.

So how long does it take me to do each invite? It takes me about 5 minutes assuming all I am doing is gluing if everything is already printed.

42 comments

I'm so excited for you!! i'm sure you'll have a great time planning and everything.. you strike me as a very calm person and I'm sure you'll be the best bride yet!! congratulations again.. i wish i could help you glue the invites. hehehe! imagine how much fun that would be. :) lol!

Welcome back Vanessa! It's been a long time. It's good to have you back! The handmade invitations are beautiful. You must be a pro at making invites now. I love the picture lining - it worked out perfectly.

woah, this post is so timely! I am tasked by my boyfriend's parents to do their wedding invitations (by hand) for their 25th silver wedding. I was really nervous if I could do it (even I did my invitations for my debut 2 years ago), because it has to be special. Thanks for this post, I am now inspired that it is really possible to make personalized wedding invitations. i love the colors you picked! congrats! =)

This is very, very cool. My mom's crafting addict so she always talks about this stuff. I really love the 2 pictures of when you were both younger and I love how when you open the envelope, you see a picture of you 2. The pink's awesome!! (How did you get him to agree to that??) And you have LOTS of patience and dedication to do this all by hand. =P

WOW Vanessa!!!! Congratulations, You did an awesome job. No way that looks handmade very professional. And Im so loving your colors. You wanna consider getting into the invitation business. I know you gonna get a lot of offers when people see this.

I've seen enough wedding invites when I was preparing for my own wedding and I have to say yours came out unique and very personalized! Most wedding invites will be thrown out by guests after the wedding but with this? They'll definitely safe keep this! So pretty, you're so talented dear!

The wedding invitations look great there is nothing like making your own things for something as special as your wedding because you really take the time in the details which makes everything better, the details!!! I love the idea of your and Jon's picture as kids and when the envelope opens your engagment pictures!!! AMAZING!!! Thanks for sharing with us!!! =) <3

Wow, super deja vu! I did the same exact thing, bought embossing stuff and value priced invitations and envelopes from BF. We have a lot of similar crafting stuff, I'll have to get my own blog going so we can share. I have a very small budget as well and it can be really expensive. Do it yourself projects are great. I'm waiting for the After-Christmas sales to buy a tons of stringed lights in white and maybe pink (My colors are pink and green for spring!) so I can do my own romantic lighting. Also having both my wedding and reception in a vineyard saves money too, not too much to have to decorate for the ceremony. My programs are going to be on fans givin out while people take their seats so they are comfortable outside AND it doubles as a favor and program for everyone.

Try looking up some DIY foam projects, just google and you will find so many EASY decor options and it's super cheap!

I'll send you a link to my blog when I figure out how to get one up and running k? Love that your posting again!

Even though I never got married, this reminds me of helping my brothers with their wedding. My middle bro also made everything and it was fun with the process. It looks really good. I wish I could help out. I love making things... hehe~ :)

These are amazing, Vanessa! I love how it's so personal and original, really makes it a unique card to receive. I love collecting cards and invitations from friends, and one like this would be an amazing piece to any card collection. LOVE IT! :h:

Congrats. I don't remember if I already congratulated you before but anyway.

I love how you're doing the invitations yourself. I find it pretty amazing personalizing them. I know how much time and effort you have to put into it since I've done some before but for smaller occasions. You're doing GREAT so keep it up.

Wow the invitations look beautiful! I just wanted to say that I've been a follower of your blog for quite some time and i absolutely love it! I really missed your posts while you were on your break and I'm really happy to see you blogging again =) Please don't let the negative things people say on here discourage you from blogging about your life and anything you want to because personally I would love to read about your wedding and your journey and TWILIGHT! haha Anyways, i hope all is well with you and i really look forward to your next post =)

heyy nessa..Glad to see that you're back.I missed you AND your blogs, so welcome back again to the blogging world =)And CONGRATULATIONS on your wedding. I'm getting married as well in July of 2011. The wedding invitations blog really inspired me to create my own wedding invitations as well.I really enjoy your blog--whether its makeup related or not! Ignore them haters! Keep up with them blogs =)Hugs and kisseszbabycupcakesz

Super cute invites!! I made my own as well using the embossing method! Such a fun and creative way of customizing your own home made invites. Definitely less "homemade" look using the embossing method. I also used the embossing to make my own menu's and programs. it's tedious work but so rewards afterward. Then you have to figure out what to do with all the embossing supplies you've purchased.

Hello,When I design custom invitations, I offer to design custom postage for my clients to complete the look of their invitation package. The party starts when the guests open their invitations, so setting the tone of the party with the invitation is important. But even before the envelope is opened, the first impression the guest has of the invitation is what’s on the outside.

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